US Equestrian Names Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Program Participants

Lexington, KY. - The US Equestrian (USEF) Eventing Sport Committee has approved the following 15 athletes from a pool of applicants for the Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 program for 2018. This follows the list of athletes named to the Emerging Athlete Eventing 18 program list.

Talent Advisors evaluated several factors to determine the Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 program participants including current form, competition results, and potential to make a valuable contribution in team competition. They also had the option to talent spot athletes onto the list that met the evaluation criteria, but did not meet the CCI2* minimum eligibility requirement and invite auditing participants.

"I am very excited about this list. We're looking for talented riders; we want riders that ride well and compete well and those we feel have what it takes to make the next step, whether on a current horse or one in the future. The real key is the rider's talent in all three phases. Hopefully, they have a good horse, but if they have a marginal horse, part of their education in this program is to teach them about the kind of horse they are looking for and learning what the standard is," said Mike Huber, Chairman of the USEF Eventing Sport Committee and Emerging Athlete Working Group. "This is the pipeline to progress them past their current level and ultimately become a potential candidate to represent the U.S. on any given team."

USEF Eventing Emerging Athlete Coach Leslie Law will work with the Eventing 25 athletes at their winter training session, January 8-11, 2018, in Ocala, Fla. The participants will gain additional skill instruction and insight through mounted and unmounted sessions.